The Little Mermaid: Stronger than Love
by TheTechAngel
Summary: This story takes place a week after the defeat of Ursula. Ariel and Eric live together happily and in peace until when Eric got the word of a hurricane. Ariel fears that she and Eric will be separated. Are Ariel's feelings right?
1. Chapter 1: Life was perfect

**The Little Mermaid – Stronger than Love**

** Chapter 1: Life was perfect **

AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER – I do not own any of the original Disney characters in this story. Characters mentioned that are not found in The Little Mermaid are of my own creation. I am doing this after the first Little Mermaid and taking off from there with my own ideas. This does not go into The Little Mermaid 2. There might be times where Ariel or other related characters may go OC (Out of Character) just to give you a heads up.

_The waves crashed along the shoreline as the sun high above shone great on the clear day. All around the scenery was perfect. Birds in the sky, the ocean was bright blue and sparking, but there was something that stood out. Far out into the horizon were patches of dark clouds that didn't seem to cause any harm as it was pretty far away. Those clouds though looked threatening enough to make anyone take a second look. This was not the case for our newlywed: Ariel and Eric._

_Not too long ago, Ariel and Eric got married right after the great defeat of the evil Ursula. Ariel who had given up her mermaid form to be with the love of her life Eric was content and happy being human. She had finally gotten used to being mobile with her pair of legs and quickly adjusted to the ways of being human. Most of the other things didn't matter as long she could be with Eric. There Ariel and Eric stood on the beach looking out into the horizon holding each other close. Ariel could not be any happier. Everything was perfect. Life was perfect for Ariel._

"This is great Ariel, I'm really happy that we can spend all this time together. I hope nothing separates us again." Eric said to Ariel while gazing into her eyes. "Oh Eric, you're right and I hope everything stays right." Ariel gave Eric a big hug and rested her head on his chest. Life was indeed perfect for these two.

Eric then cupped Ariel's chin and gave her a soft kiss on her delicate lips. The sensation made Ariel close her eyes instantly as she felt swooned by the prince's kiss. "Hey looking good there Ariel!" Scuttle shout far on a rock. He then gave a fox whistle to Ariel thus breaking her attention to Eric. Ariel turned to the voice and saw Scuttle standing on a rock near the waters as he waved with his wing.

"Oh hey, isn't that your friend?" Eric asked Ariel. "Yes, Scuttle sure came at the right time. I'll be back" Ariel replied with a smile on her face. Ariel went over to Scuttle as she raised her dress up so it wouldn't get drenched in the water.

"Scuttle what is it?" Ariel said with a little impatience as she quickly turned to Eric to see if he was still there. "Hey, I just thought I see how you were doing. I haven't seen you ever since Ursula took the boot." Ariel looked back at Scuttle and replied, "Oh sorry, I'm ok. I've been with Eric so much that I haven't thought about anything else lately." "Hrmm is that so? Well I brought some buddies who also want to say hi as well." Scuttle said as he flew near Ariel to land on her shoulder.

Near the rock that Scuttle was on, out came Flounder, Sebastian and of course King Triton. All three came to see how Ariel was doing with her being human and also about Eric. "Daddy!" Ariel shouted as she rushed in the water toward him not caring about her dress getting wet. The two lock in a strong embrace as Ariel puts on a big smile for she hasn't seen him for about a week since the defeat of Ursula.

"How is my newlywed little girl? Is everything all right up here on the surface?" King Triton asked Ariel. Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle all looked at Ariel as she began to tell about the adventures she's had on the surface. Ariel told about the many places to see and how many of the people were so friendly in the kingdom.

"Oh daddy it really is amazing here and I perfectly adjusted to my legs as well. I wish you could come up here to see everything that I have seen!" Ariel said with excitement. "I wish I could too Ariel but you know that I can't" King Triton replied with chuckle. "Besides, someone needs to watch over the ocean and it has to be me."

"I know daddy, I really am happy though." Ariel said while looking at the others. "Is that uh…one chef still around? You know, that chef that almost put me on a plate to be eaten?" Sebastian asked nervously to Ariel. "Oh you mean Chef Louis? He retired days after that whole incident you caused. He said he wouldn't want to look at another crab ever again." Ariel replied with a laugh.

Everyone chuckled at the situation and found it funny. "Well that's a relief" Sebastian said while rubbing his forehead with his claw. "Well it sounds like you are having a fun time on the surface. Furthermore, Eric seems to be making you happy as well. I just hope that you come to visit me someday. Don't forget about your own daddy you know." King Triton said with a smile while resting his hand on Ariel's shoulder.

"I'd never forget you daddy, but it would be hard for me to swim under the sea if I am human." Ariel replied. "Oh I can fix that. Whenever you want to be able to breathe water and return back to your normal self as a mermaid then let me know. I did turn you human after all, so I'm able to reverse it."

Ariel hugged Triton again and said "Thanks daddy!" While Ariel was still hugging Triton, she looked behind her and saw Eric talking to Grimsby, who is Eric's personal advisor. "Well I have to go; don't want my dress to get anymore wet." Ariel said as she began to walk on shore. "Take care Ariel and continue being happy." King Triton said as he dove back into the water.

Ariel waved goodbye as Flounder followed Triton. Sebastian and Scuttle stayed with Ariel. Ariel's attention was toward Eric and Grimsby and she walked toward them.

"Hey Ariel, glad you came back." Eric said while looking at Ariel. Ariel smiled and got close to Eric. "Now, they predict it to be a terrible storm so it is best that we brace for impact right away while there is still time." Grimsby suggested. "Brace for impact?" Ariel repeated.

"Yea and it sounds pretty bad just by the looks of it. See over there?" Eric said as he pointed out towards the horizon where the darkness lurked. Ariel turned to see the blackness of the storm clouds that was insignificant moments ago is now…something that really stands out.

Now that horizon no longer looked perfect and just by looking at the storm gave Ariel a strange feeling in her stomach.

"Ok then, tighten the city up so this hurricane force won't wipe out the whole city. Make sure the boats are secured and latched tight." Eric said to Grimsby sternly. Ariel overheard what Eric said but her focus was still toward the dark storm cloud. It seemed every time she looked at it, it grew bigger and got closer. Ariel even felt a chill from the winds blowing from the ocean.

The cold blow made her shiver as she held onto Eric for warmth. Grimsby had already left to command the others to increase the defense of the city. "Eric, that storm looks pretty bad. Will we be ok?" Ariel asked with a look of concern in her eyes. Eric did not answer right away but instead responded to Ariel's eyes. Eric hugged Ariel and said "We will be ok. Not even a hurricane will blow us apart."

Ariel smiled and hugged Eric tighter as she began to ease herself into thinking that everything will be right. In her mind, as long she was with Eric, everything was going to be ok.

While the two hugged, sounds of machines and doors were heard in the background. Voices of commands shout from various people were also heard. Phrases like "batten down the hatches" and "secure the boats" were heard near the dock.

Ariel looked up and saw many people moving fast to do something. While looking, Ariel took another look at the storm and now the storm grew a bit in size. The horizon underneath the storm was like 80 grey and that beautiful horizon from before…was practically gone. Something was changing and the events were happening fast. Ariel had a bad feeling about all of this. She hugged Eric tighter while still looking at the pending hurricane far out in the ocean.

"Come on, let's head back so we can get ready." Eric said as he took Ariel's hand and went back to their place. As the two passed through the streets, many people of the villages were taking items from their houses into wagons to move out. Everyone was preparing for the hurricane and most of the people seemed to be in a panic.

Ariel and Eric went up the stairs to their palace and here too they saw people packing items into boxes to carry onto a large wagon. "This must be a pretty bad storm if it is getting the whole city running around like this." Eric said as he was looking outside seeing the people on the ground.

Ariel sat on their bed and began to look around the room. "Are we going to go somewhere too?" Ariel asked. "I'm afraid so, we are going to have pack light. I will get us on our royal ship so don't worry."

While Eric grabbed a big bag and stuffed items into it, Ariel got up from the bed and looked out the window and looked at the people on the ground walking to and from buildings. Ariel could not help but feel sad for what is going on. It felt like the time they spent at the beach was so short and that something terrible was happening too fast.

Ariel looked at Eric whom had finished packing. "Got everything we need. There is nothing else we can do until we actually evacuate the city." Eric said. Ariel went over to Eric and held him for comfort. As the two held each other, Grimsby entered the room.

"The weathermen say that it might hit here tomorrow. We might have to leave early in the morning if this is the case. I recommend you two get some rest now while you still can." Grimsby said. "Ok, let us know right away if the storm gets too close!" Eric demanded. "Will do sir!" Grimsby replied while giving a soft bow.

"Well we better get some rest then. Come on Ariel" Eric said while holding Ariel's hands. "Eric…I'm scared. This is all happening so fast! Why is this happening?" Ariel asked with fear. She was more upset that everything was changing so fast that it could mean that she won't be able to spend time with Eric.

"I don't know Ariel. I do know that hurricanes do happen and that if one should come, then you have to do the best you can to prepare for it." Eric tried to ease Ariel's stress by holding her tightly. "Don't worry Ariel; I'll be here with you in the morning ok? I promise I won't let anything or anyone separate us. I promise you." Eric said while resting his forehead on Ariel's.

Ariel smiled and began to get comfortable in the sheets so she could get some rest. Eric did the same and the two held each other closely and tried to sleep. Sounds of wind howling could be heard banging against the window as the night progressed. Ariel and Eric were sound asleep holding each other as the storm grew closer.

The next morning arrives and Ariel woke up to the sounds of the wind blowing through the open window. Loose items were on the ground and vases that weren't broken were rolling around from the wind. Ariel looked around and did not see any sign of Eric. She quickly looked under the sheets and looked all around the room again.

Ariel quickly got up from the bed and rushed to the window looking from Eric. All she saw were people boarding ships and carrying boxes to them. The sky…oh the sky was awful. Horridly grey and black, not a sign of tranquility to be found anywhere. Ariel began to shed a tear as she turned around to still see that Eric wasn't in the room with her.

"Did he…abandon me?" Ariel thought to herself. She lowered her head as she felt herself about to cry hard. "Ariel!!" out came a voice from the entrance of the room. There came Eric with his bag of items with Grimsby beside him.

"I'm very sorry Ariel, but I had to get everything ready on our ship. I'm here and we're ready to board." Eric said as he saw Ariel almost in tears. Ariel ran up to Eric and hugged him so hard for she almost thought Eric left her. For that moment, Ariel felt strong fear inside her. "Aww Ariel, I'm sorry. Hey, I said I wouldn't let anything or anyone separate us." Eric said as he looked into Ariel's eyes.

Almost instantly, her tears went away and she began to smile again. "You two, we must hurry if we are to make it on time!" Grimsby said with haste. Ariel and Eric ran with Grimsby down the stairs and out of the palace to the docks.

There were a lot of people there preparing their ships for sail. Ariel noticed that she didn't even get the chance to change into her usual blue and black dress that she always wore. "Over here is the royal ship. Everything is all packed and ready to go." Grimsby added as they went up the ramp toward the ship.

"You are not forgetting anything back at the palace are you Ariel?" Eric asked before he gave the command to set sail. Ariel took a moment to think then quickly answered no. Eric put his bag down and then gave the command to set sail.

The ship began rocking from the wind and from the engines kicking in. Ariel kept looking out to the city as the ship was drawing away from it. "It's happening so fast. Just yesterday…Eric and I were together in peace. Now what has happened?" Ariel said to herself.

While Ariel kept looking at the city, she heard voices underneath her. "Ariel down here!" the voice called out. Ariel looked down and saw King Triton above the waters waving. "Daddy?! What is going on?! This storm is making everyone panic!" Ariel shouts to Triton as she was high above the waters on the ship.

"Yes Ariel, it's about this storm. I'm afraid that it is not just the surface in peril. The ocean, many sea life are missing. I haven't seen Flounder or Sebastian either." Ariel's eyes widened as she heard this. Her best friends from forever were now missing. "We are doing the best we can to find them but I want to make sure you are all right." Triton said.

Ariel then looked at the horizon and it was all grey and the surf was high. She then looked at Eric and in the direction the boat was heading. It didn't seem so bad…but there was still a storm. Ariel did not know what to do. Life seemed so perfect yesterday…

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: A premonition to be felt

**The Little Mermaid – Stronger than Love**

** Chapter 2: A premonition to be felt **

AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER – I do not own any of the original Disney characters in this story. Characters mentioned that are not found in The Little Mermaid are of my own creation. I am doing this after the first Little Mermaid and taking off from there with my own ideas. This does not go into The Little Mermaid 2. There might be times where Ariel or other related characters may go OC (Out of Character) just to give you a heads up.

_The hurricane was growing in intensity as the winds crashed against the waters making sail nearly impossible. The winds howled a terrible screech and the blackness of the sky was dreadful as the sun swallowed in amidst the mighty darkness. You would never know that it was daytime here thanks to the clouds. Overwhelming the clouds might have been; the air was thick and saltier than even the most experienced sailor could withstand. Ariel and Eric board the Royal Ship and took off before storm got any worse where they were._

"Daddy, I don't know what I can do…" Ariel said unconfidently for she really did not know what to do. All she could hope was that wherever this ship was taking her; that it would lead to safety. "Most of the ocean you can't even see for there is a dark cloud shrouding everything. Atlantica could barely be seen even about 100 feet away." King Triton added.

Ariel thought to herself that it must have been pretty serious if even Atlantica could not be seen. While she was thinking everything out, Eric came by to see how she was doing. "You ok Ariel?" Eric asked. "Oh Eric…the ocean is terrible. This storm has to be the cause of this."

"Ariel, I still don't know where Flounder or Sebastian are. I thought they were with you for a while?" Triton yelled out. "They were, but then they followed you back to the sea. At least…that's what I remember." Ariel responded.

Ariel crossed her arms and thought about what she should do. She could either stay with Eric to the South coast Island like he said they were going. Or she could go with Triton back under the sea to find her closest friends. "But…I don't want to leave Eric. I…might never see him again. I have a bad feeling that if I leave now…it would be a long time until I see him again." Ariel thought to herself.

Ariel closed her eyes with her arms still crossed holding herself while she tried hard to think what she should do. Eric then rested his hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her. "Ariel…do you have to leave?" Eric asked softly. Ariel opened her eyes and turned to Eric with tears in her eyes.

"Eric…I…I have to find my friends. They mean a lot to me. They've been my best friends since I was young. I must find them. But I promise that I will come back!" Ariel said as she held Eric tightly. Ariel's heart felt tattered as her emotions were plaguing her thoughts. She wanted to be with Eric…but she needed to find her friends first.

"I'll be right here waiting." Eric said with a smile as he got closer to Ariel. Eric then gave Ariel a heartfelt kiss on her lips. Ariel for the time being forgot everything and wrapped her arms around Eric and kissed back.

Ariel then took a step back while still looking at Eric so she could have one last look at him. "Oh Ariel, wait. Before you leave, if you don't make it back to the ship in time I need to tell you where the island is. This ship is going absolute east and the island itself is huge. You should see several large towers from far away, these are the lighthouses. That is our location." Eric explained.

"Ok I'll remember Eric. Please be safe! I love you Eric!" Ariel yelled out as she was about to leave. "I love you too Ariel!" Eric replied. Ariel smiled then turned around and looked down to where Triton was. "Ok daddy, I'm ready!" Ariel yelled as she jumped into the water. While Ariel was falling into the water, Triton took his trident and waved it around so Ariel could transform back into a mermaid.

With a big splash, Ariel came up from the water beside Triton. "Welcome back Ariel!" Triton said with a light chuckle. "Now follow me back to Atlantica."

Ariel and Triton swam to the depths of the dark and murky ocean as they tried to make their way back to Atlantica. The deep ocean was almost no different than the surface. It was dark and empty and the ocean felt cold. Just like the winds of the surface, the waters of the ocean were cold from the storm and Ariel was witnessing it all.

Ariel had never seen the ocean like this, ever. Triton hadn't either and he couldn't figure out the reason for this. Ariel and Triton looked all around and saw nothing but dark water. It was even darker the further they looked but Triton knew the way back to Atlantica. "Daddy…this is awful. I don't even see any sea life." Ariel said as she swam beside Triton looking around for another sign of life. "It is bad Ariel but what could be causing this? Surely it can't be the storm alone." Triton responded.

While the two talked about the reasons for the storm, both saw lights far ahead of them. "There is Atlantica…the only way for anyone to know" Triton said. "It's even worse here too! When did this happen?!" Ariel asked in shock. It was just as black if not more than the ocean they just swam through. Looking up at the surface…it only appeared less black.

"This happened yesterday early afternoon; before I came up to see you and Eric." Triton responded. Ariel looked all around and thought to herself that it would be nearly impossible for her to find anyone down here. "Daddy, I'm going to look at my home and see if Flounder and Sebastian are there hiding" Ariel requested. "Good idea Ariel, if not then see if you have darkness covering your home. I'll come by in a bit; I need to check Atlantica first." Triton replied.

As Triton swam off to Atlantica, Ariel went back to her home which was a lagoon that led all the way to the surface. She entered the alcove area and saw that her remnants of Eric still remained in their spots. Ariel's lagoon was also covered in a black cloud only it wasn't as dark as the clouds she swam in earlier.

Ariel looked around but didn't see Flounder or Sebastian anywhere. She thought to herself that she wasn't going to be able to find them. She was sure that they would be calling her name if she was nearby. With a lot of the ocean in a black cloud, she wouldn't know where to look for them. Ariel felt sad as she slowly swam around her lagoon looking at pictures of Eric. She then thought if Eric was all right being out in this storm. Ariel's heart was in the right place…but she had no clue where to begin the search for Flounder and Sebastian.

After thinking it through, Ariel left her lagoon and swam back out in the ocean. She floated there looking around the ocean. At times she would look at the sky but Ariel was so deep at the bottom of the ocean that it didn't even appear light anymore. "Ariel!" a voice called out. Ariel turned around trying to find the voice.

She saw that it was Triton who had his trident lit so it would make it easier to find him. "Ariel…it's just as bad in Atlantica. All the mermaids have disappeared. All of my daughters…gone. Except for you Ariel." Triton said in shame. Ariel saw that he felt depressed and confused about this whole situation. "Oh daddy…" Ariel said as she hugged Triton. Ariel was beginning to feel what he felt.

"We have got to find whatever it was that has caused this sea of darkness! I have nothing left here…everything is gone!" Triton shouted as he exploded in anger. Triton couldn't hide his emotions any longer. While he was scared deep down, he was also courageous enough to confront whatever it was that is causing this. "Let's head back to the ship. Maybe it's not so bad there where Eric and the others are headed" Ariel suggested. Triton nodded in response and followed Ariel through the ocean.

Ariel remembered that Eric said that the ship was going east so she swam up to the surface to get a view of everything. Ariel and Triton both with their heads above the surface looked around trying to get their bearings. While they were looking all around for the ships, it began to rain. Ariel and Triton looked up at the unforgiving storm as the rain poured harder by the second.

Triton looks off one distance and sees several waterspouts emerge from the ocean to the clouds above. "I think I see the boats!" Ariel shouted as she faced the direction she thought was east. Ariel points toward the horizon and there were small objects at sea which she thought had to be the ships from the city. Triton looks in Ariel's direction and squints to see if Ariel was right. "Good, now let's hurry along!" Triton said as he was about to dive back into the water.

Before Ariel goes in the water with Triton, she overheard sounds coming from somewhere. "Ariel! Up here!" the voice shouted. Ariel looked up and saw Scuttle flying overhead. Scuttle flew close to Ariel as Triton came above the water again to see what Ariel was looking at. "Scuttle! I'm glad to see you! Have you seen Flounder or Sebastian?!" Ariel shouted in anticipation.

"No I haven't…I'm sorry. I'm still looking. I came here to tell you something bad though!" Scuttle yelled out. Ariel and Triton were both listening as they prepared to hear the bad news. Triton thought that nothing could be any worse than this. "There is a whirlpool forming over there almost near the ship where Eric is on!"

Ariel's heart nearly skipped a beat as she thought that Eric would be in great danger. "How far is the whirlpool?!" Ariel demanded. She was prepared to swim a great length to go save Eric. "It's pretty far but it looks like its moving toward that ship!" Scuttle replied. Ariel looked at the objects far out at sea once more then dove back in the water. "Ariel wait!" Triton said as he followed behind Ariel. Scuttle flew above Ariel so he wouldn't lose her.

Ariel swam as fast as she ever swam in her life all with the notion that Eric was going to be in danger. Triton swam behind trying to catch up to Ariel as she was almost losing him in the darkness of the cloudy waters. "Ariel you must slow down, you don't know what is out there!" Triton yelled fearing for his daughter's safety. Ariel heard what he said but she didn't slow down to respond.

While Ariel and Triton swam the way back to the ship, Scuttle from above was watching the distance between them and the whirlpool. Scuttle then saw the whirlpool getting bigger and saw that inside it, was a black pit with clouds emerging from it and mixing with the air above it. In the water, Ariel could feel the currents getting stronger and noticed that the clouds were dissipating slightly. Triton finally caught up with Ariel and grabbed hold of her.

"Daddy let go! I have to go to Eric!" Ariel shouted as she tried to break free. While Ariel struggled, Triton swam up to the surface to see what was causing the whirlpool. Ariel stopped struggling and looked at the whirlpool's waves that surrounded it. There came a massive black cloud that was quickly taking form.

Ariel and Triton tried to make out what this form was but was unable to. The whirlpool died off and the waters filled up the gap left behind causing massive tsunamis that spread all around. Both Ariel and Triton had a wide eyed look as they saw the size of this massive dark cloud. Two yellow eyes appeared in the front of the cloud and they were looking at Ariel and Triton.

The dark cloud then turned around and slowly made its way to the Royal Ship and its' fleet of other ships. "Oh no!! It's going after the ships and Eric!" Ariel cried out as she dove back into the water to try to catch up to the dark cloud. Scuttle flew out to the ships to warn them about the dark cloud.

Meanwhile, Eric and his crew aboard the Royal Ship had saw the entire dark cloud emerge from the whirlpool already and were about to aim their cannons out at it. Eric watched as everyone readied their cannons and stocked it. "Now…on my word, fire all cannons at once!" Eric said sternly. Everyone looked up at the approaching dark cloud waiting for the right moment to shoot. Eric clenched his fists tightly as he was studying how close the dark cloud had to be in order for the cannons to reach it.

When the dark cloud got close, the winds blew hard toward the crewmen and the ship began to rock from the waves. "FIRE!!" Eric ordered his crew. From underwater, Ariel heard thud sounds echoing through the water. She swam up to the surface to see what the sounds were. She saw sparks of orange fire coming from the Royal Ship and the smog that came from it. "They are trying to attack the dark cloud?!" Ariel said as she plunged back into the water getting close to the dark cloud and the Royal Ship.

Triton was with Ariel as she wasn't swimming as fast as she was earlier. The two were nearing the Royal Ship and Scuttle had already arrived waiting for Ariel. "Stock another and fire again!" Eric yelled out as the dark cloud continued to approach the Royal Ship.

Ariel and Triton made it to the Royal Ship and Ariel called out for Eric. Eric was not able to hear Ariel through the blasts of cannons being shot. Commotion was heard all about as the dark cloud got really close. In a split second of silence, Eric heard Ariel calling to him. He ran to the edge of the ship and saw Ariel and Triton floating before the starboard side of the ship.

Eric threw a rope down for Ariel to grab onto while holding onto something tight so he didn't get thrown overboard by the waves. Ariel grabbed hold of the rope and Eric pulled Ariel in as quickly as he could. "Eric, that dark cloud is getting bigger!" one of the crewmen shouted. Eric heard what was said, but all of his energy was focused into pulling Ariel up.

Eric finally got Ariel on board while she was still in her mermaid form. "Ariel!" Eric said in relief as he hugged her tightly. "Oh Eric! I'm glad you are all right! That dark cloud…" Ariel said in mid-sentence. As soon as she said dark cloud, Eric suddenly remembered what that crewman said and quickly turned around to see that the dark cloud came in and flew through Royal Ship.

Ariel and Eric held onto each other tight as the whole ship was inside the cloud. For that moment, Ariel and Eric were shivering from the coldness of the dark cloud and were almost blown away from the energy inside of it. Eric held on to a pole that was fastened to the ship while still holding onto Ariel with his other arm.

From where Triton was, the dark cloud was still moving toward the horizon while the whole ship was still inside of the cloud. Triton then raised his trident and shot a blast of energy at the face of the dark cloud. High pitched shrieks came from the dark cloud as it flew upward to defend itself from Triton's blast.

The dark cloud fully passed through the Royal Ship and Ariel and Eric were still holding each other tight. Eric opened his eyes and saw most of his crewmen frozen solid to the deck. Ariel gasped as she saw what Eric saw. Eric stood up trying to get his footing on deck and held onto Ariel. Not being in her human form, she had to lie on the deck.

The dark cloud turned around and looked at Triton with its large yellow eyes. Lights with no pupils glowed as the dark cloud glared menacingly at Triton. Then the dark cloud expanded itself and two large arms began to form from the sides of the cloud. It then raised its arms up and looked at the Royal Ship. Ariel and Eric were staring up at the dark cloud with their mouths hanging open. Both of them were paralyzed for they couldn't do anything about the overwhelming figure above them. As quickly as the arms formed from the dark cloud…it smashed its arms in front of the Royal Ship which caused a giant tsunami.

The Royal Ship broke in half from the impact of the shockwave and a loud thundering crash echoed throughout the air. Explosions also echoed through the air as the Royal Ship began to sink. Triton yelled out in shock as he witnessed the power of the dark cloud. He saw many of the crew men fly high off the ship and into the ocean. He paid most attention to where Ariel and Eric went. All he saw was Ariel that got flung up west of the ship. Triton dove in the water with haste to catch Ariel before she landed in the water.

Triton made it in time and caught Ariel before her body slammed hard onto the water. Ariel was unconscious from the shockwave and Triton began to shed a tear as he saw that Ariel was not moving. He then looked at the dark cloud that was on its way to the horizon where the ships were about to go. A look of great revenge struck his eyes as he fiercely glared at the dark cloud. There was no sign of Eric…only Ariel who was…not moving.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Our safe worlds for now

**The Little Mermaid – Stronger than Love**

** Chapter 3: Our safe worlds for now **

AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER – I do not own any of the original Disney characters in this story. Characters mentioned that are not found in The Little Mermaid are of my own creation. I am doing this after the first Little Mermaid and taking off from there with my own ideas. This does not go into The Little Mermaid 2. There might be times where Ariel or other related characters may go OC (Out of Character) just to give you a heads up.

_Several hours pass since the destruction of the Royal Ship and the passing of the dark cloud. Ariel who had every intention to see the love of her life Eric back on his ship was met with an unfortunate encounter. Eric was able to do what he can to be close to Ariel but his efforts failed. The mighty dark cloud came by and devastated the entire ship while throwing Ariel and Eric off in separate directions. Triton went to save Ariel and made it just in time. Meanwhile back under the sea…_

Ariel opened her eyes to find her vision blurry and unable to make out who was in front of her. After a few seconds, Ariel was able to see clearly and saw that Triton was hovering above her. "D…daddy?" Ariel spoke softly.

"Yes honey, are you ok?" Ariel smiled to see that she was in the comfort of her own father. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine daddy…though I hardly remember what happened. My head hurts a little." Ariel replied. "You are lucky to escape from that dreadful experience with just a headache. Not a scratch on you. Oh Ariel…you had me so worried." Triton said while holding Ariel's hands.

"Oh daddy…I said I'd be fine. Eric! Where is Eric daddy?!" Ariel said as she quickly swam up and looked around. Ariel then realized that she was back in her lagoon so she then knew that Eric would not be here. "I don't know where Eric went to Ariel. In fact…the entire ship sank from that dark cloud." Triton replied.

Ariel's eyes widened as she felt her heart drop into a bottomless pit. "No…daddy…you don't mean." Triton closed his eyes and looked down to the sea floor. "I'm not saying he's dead…but I'm not saying he's alive. The last thing I saw was the ship broke in two. Then I carried you back home." Triton replied.

Ariel looked away for while she wanted to cry her eyes out…something inside her said that Eric was still alive. "Daddy…I feel…that he is alive! I must go see him now!" Ariel yelled as she tried to swim. Ariel was still sore from the shockwave of the attack and was unable to swim as fast for now.

"You need to get your rest Ariel. It's been several hours since you have been asleep. I don't want you to pull anything that might make it worse." Triton said with concern. Ariel stopped moving while she looked at her father. She was caught between her own emotions and ambitions again and didn't do anything about it. Ariel sat up near the wall where her pictures of Eric were.

"Ariel…I have something I need to tell you urgently anyway. It's about that dark cloud. I took some time while you were resting to gather as much information about it as I can. From what I have learned…I need to tell you right now Ariel." Ariel looked at her father with an upset look while still in her eyes she was curious to what he had to say. Ariel stood up and listened.

Meanwhile back out in the ocean where the site of the Royal Ship had fallen, Eric was seen holding on to a wooden log that came from the ship. Many of the other crew members were seen holding onto something as they were drifting along the ocean. Eric awoke and saw Grimsby in the same condition as the rest.

Eric swam over to see if Grimsby was awake. "Grimsby? Are you ok?!" Eric yelled. "H…huh. Yes sir…I'm awake…" Grimsby replied in mid-sentence as he saw himself floating along the ocean. "I wonder how many others survived too. That cloud…was huge." Eric said as he closed his eyes. He looked around and all he saw were remains. The rest of the whole pieces of the ship had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

While Eric and Grimsby looked around for other crew members, a loud horn was heard in the distance. The two looked out in the horizon and saw several ships headed their way. "No way…are we saved?!" Eric asked with a shout. Eric tried to flag the ships down but he didn't need to for they were rescue ships from the South coast Island. Eric swam Grimsby over to the ship ahead to get on board.

Eric and Grimsby climbed aboard one of the rescue ships and saw a lot of new faces. Eric also saw that they were pulling up others that made it on the ocean. "I can't believe our stroke of luck" Eric said as he went to the front of the ship and looked out. Eric saw that not too far away was the South coast island. "Hey it's the island! Are you from the South coast Island?" Eric asked a nearby crewman of the ship.

"Yes we are. We got the distress signal several hours ago so we quickly got here as best we could. Plus, as you are aware we were expecting your arrival and you were late…so we figured that that dark cloud got to you." The crewman explained. Eric smiled as he could not believe the timing in all this. He walked back over to where Grimsby was resting and told him about this ship.

"I hope Ariel is ok out there. I don't know why…but I have the feeling that she is all right out there. I'm glad she was in her mermaid form when this happened otherwise she would have drowned for sure." Eric said as he looked out west where he saw pieces of the ship still floating far in the ocean. All the crew members were sipping some hot soup to keep them warm from their prolonged exposure in the water. "I'm sure Ariel will be all right sir. Your love will not end like this." Grimsby said to Eric in attempt to comfort him. "Thanks Grimsby…I just want to see her face again." Eric replied as he sipped some more of his soup.

One of Eric's crewmen from the Royal Ship came to him and told him that this ship is arriving at South coast Island. Eric tapped Grimsby to let him know that the ship is about to dock soon. He runs to the other side to get a good look at the harbor for he has never been here before. Though it was an island, it was a big city in the main inland. Eric's grandparents used to talk about this place a lot and Eric always wanted to come here.

"Wow it's huge; it's almost like our home. There are lots of people here too." Eric said in amazement as he kept looking out into the city area. While Eric was looking, the ship came to a halt and shouted to everyone that the ship has docked and that it was safe to leave. Eric and Grimsby got off the ramp from the ship and they walked through the front entrance to the city of Southside. Eric liked the newness factor that this city seemed to have to offer and he forgot about what had happened back out at sea and took some time to look around.

"Ah you must be Eric and Grimsby. Welcome to Southside, my name is Christopher but you can call me Chris for short. And this is Sara, we are militant residents of Southside and we heard about your predicament. "Hello, nice to meet you both." Eric said as he shook their hands in greeting. "Oh…we were made aware of your wife being here with you? Did she not make it from the dark cloud?" Chris asked. "I don't know. I haven't heard or seen Ariel since then. I told her how to get here if something should happen." Eric said with pity. Eric could only hope Ariel would be here soon and to get here safely.

Back under the sea, Ariel had fully recovered and she was her energetic self once again. She left her lagoon and noticed immediately that the clouds disappeared under the water. Ariel also saw that a lot of the sea life has returned as well. Ariel was happy that things seemed to be returning back to normal but she was also puzzled to as where they went while the cloud was here. She also thought about where Flounder and Sebastian were if things were calming down. Ariel didn't give it another thought and she swam to Atlantica to her Triton.

Ariel hummed to herself the whole way to Atlantica while she saw Triton sitting at his throne talking the rest of Ariel's sisters. Ariel swam over fast as she hasn't seen them in a long time either. "Well look who has returned back under the sea!" Arista said out loud to the other sisters. Arista was one to always fight over Ariel about small stuff. Arista is also one to get her way much like Ariel with Eric. "Hello Arista…nice to see you." Ariel greets with a half amused look.

Ariel swam up to Triton as she wanted to be part of the group. "Hey where have you been anyway? You've been keeping father waiting for too long!" Arista said. Triton chuckles. "It's ok, little Ariel has been resting this afternoon. Looks like you are back in shape too" Triton said while looking at Ariel. "I am daddy and I feel great." Ariel said with her usual cheerful expression.

All the sisters were looking at each other as it has been a long time since all of them were together again. What with Ariel and her husband Eric, she hardly visits the ocean anymore. "Well I'm glad you girls are all here so that we can think of something about the dark cloud. That is, Ursula's Ghost." Triton said to change the mood. Ariel had also thought about what Triton talked about with her back at her lagoon. She could not believe that Ursula was still alive.

"Daddy, I thought you got rid of her last week. How could she still be alive…I still don't understand." Ariel asked. All the other sisters looked at Triton willingly for they too wanted to know the answer. "Well, I don't have all the answers as of yet but apparently she had enough mystical power to be able to grant herself a second life moments before her death. What you girls need to remember is that she is much stronger now in this form than she was before." Triton explained.

Ursula had great magic, one of the main reasons why she was banished. Ariel thought to herself that she could be out to get her and Eric. "Also, I don't want you wandering too far from here from now on. Though the clouds have disappeared, her presence may still be near." Triton explained further. Ariel couldn't help but think about Eric so much that it made her impatient.

Triton could sense that Eric was on Ariel's mind and so he looked at her. "And Ariel…about Eric. You can go see Eric…but I want you to bring somebody along with you. I can't have you going alone now. I'm sure those ships are gone and you don't know where east you are going." Triton said. Ariel looked at Triton with a shock on her face. "Well, you can come with my daddy! I don't mind at all!" Ariel said with a smile.

"I'd love to Ariel honestly, but I'm sorry Ariel...but you should go with someone else. I don't want you going all the way out there all alone. You almost had me worried swimming by yourself to get to those ships earlier." Triton replied. Ariel then looked to her sisters to see if they will go with her. Replies of "I can't go with you Ariel" and "I'm sorry Ariel" were heard from the sisters. Some of them even avoided eye contact as well. Ariel felt badly as she felt that she wasn't going to see Eric and that she wouldn't be able to be with him tonight. Ariel swam away from the group and returned back to her lagoon.

"It feels like they are all against me. One thing leads to another…and I end up not seeing Eric for some reason. I hate being stuck down here." Ariel said out loud while she looked up to the surface from her lagoon. She was all alone with no one to talk to and no one to listen. While her mind was distracted with the thoughts of Eric, she heard swimming from the entrance of her lagoon.

"I'm…surprised you didn't leave anyway. That is something you would do." Triton said softly. "You are right daddy...it is too far and I'm not sure where east is anymore now that those boats are gone. Plus I don't have anyone to go with." Ariel replied. "Well that is true. But then again...it doesn't have to be just one sea life to go with you right? Triton said. Ariel looked confused as she tried to understand what Triton meant.

"I'm not sure I understand daddy" Ariel replied. "What I mean is, you can have two sea lives go with you. As a matter of fact...I know just the two." Triton says as Flounder and Sebastian come out from behind Triton. Ariel was ecstatic and swam over to hug both of them as she hasn't seen them since yesterday. Ariel then asks Triton where were Flounder and Sebastian.

"I wanted to tell you sooner but you swam off in tears. They came back several minutes ago. They made their way back when they found out that the clouds had disappeared. "I can't believe it; I missed you two so much!" Ariel said as she continued to hug the two hard. "It's great to see you too Ariel but just go easy on the shell!" Sebastian said as he tried to climb out from Ariel's hands. "Oh I'm sorry; I hope you two have been good while I was away!" Ariel replied. "Hey Ariel, don't you have a husband you should go to?" Triton said while smiling.

Ariel smiled more and hugged Triton as she swam out of her lagoon. "Now remember, once she is with Eric, come back to let me know that she got there safely." Triton said to Sebastian. "I will see to it that she arrives safely!" Sebastian replied. Flounder and Sebastian swam off with Ariel. The three swam to the South coast Island and as Ariel was swimming, she suddenly remembered what the island should look like from Eric's description. Once she remembered, then she changed her course and took off to see Eric.

Meanwhile Eric and the others were in a palace that was located here for him and Ariel to reside in until the storm back at home died down. Eric peered out in the distance and saw that the storm was still passing through their home but it wasn't so severe since the dark cloud left. "Six thirty already?" Eric said as he was unpacking his bags and looking at the clock at the same time. Once he finished, he sat on the bed to get a feel for the mattress and flopped back to relax.

The scenery was sunset and the daylight was fading fast. Eric then decided to head to the beach and watch the sunset. The winds were cool and the air smelled pleasant with a mix of scents such as home cooking and fish in the air. Eric liked the scene of this city but he still missed home as he didn't want to be here forever. This was just temporary until things settled down back west.

Eric arrived at the beach and he took his shoes off so he could dig his feet into the sand. He walked close to the shoreline and sat down to relax and enjoy the view. Before Eric got too comfortable, he heard splashing sounds near him. Eric looked in the direction of the sounds and slowly approached to the water and then out came Ariel. "ARIEL!!" Eric shouted as he ran to the water and lifted her from the water and spun her around in a big embrace.

Ariel was so happy and even more so that she had the sensation of Eric wrapping around her. Everything felt right again. "I'm so glad you're alive! I'm glad you remembered how to get here. I knew you were ok, I just had a feeling." Eric said cheerfully. "I had those same feelings too Eric. The situation was bad, but I still knew that you were ok." Ariel replied. It was amazing how often these two would connect in their dialogue like that. It was even more impressive that they seem to think the same things as the other.

While Eric still had Ariel in the air in his arms, he noticed that Ariel was still in her mermaid form. Eric stopped and looked at her tail fin. Ariel felt sad a little for she wished she could have been human now. Flounder and Sebastian were far off in the ocean seeing the two hold each other. "Well I'd say she got here ok, come on let's go back and tell Triton!" Flounder requested to Sebastian. Before the two were about to swim off back to Atlantica, Triton emerged from the water a little ways from Flounder and Sebastian.

Ariel turns around and sees Triton in the distance. "DADDY!" Ariel says. Triton signals Ariel to come over to where he was. "I kinda forgot that you would still be in your mermaid form and I can't keep coming back all the way over here just to change you back and forth. So I'm giving you this." Triton said as he held out Ariel's hand and presented her with an artifact.

Triton hands Ariel a necklace that would allow Ariel to change to a human and back to a mermaid whenever she wanted to. "I used some of my own powers to allow this ability to happen...but it is limited. You should not overuse it too much. Keep it to a few times per day or else the power will wear itself out. It needs time to recharge between transformations." Triton explained. "Thank you daddy!" Ariel said as she hugged Triton. Ariel then uses the necklace's powers and she transforms to being human.

Ariel used the necklace's ability while she was still in deeper water and sunk in the water some. Everyone laughed as Ariel falls in the water and even Eric held his stomach at the situation. Ariel poked her head above water so that her eyes were showing and she had an annoyed look on her face as a piece of algae was on top of her head. Ariel shook her head which caused her hair to fly about spraying water on everyone nearby her.

Later that night, Ariel and Eric were in their master bedroom about to go to bed while the two talked about what happened to each other. "It was terrible Ariel but it was great timing because they came to rescue us." Eric explained. "It looks so big just like the palace back home. I want to see the sights tomorrow with you!" Ariel said happily while showing her cheerful grin. "I will Ariel, you and I will spend time together again. Something we haven't done…since this morning…barely." Eric said as he smiled lightly.

Ariel was in bliss just to be in the same bed with Eric and she didn't care about anything else. She moved in closer and rested her head on Eric's chest. "That dark cloud though…I gotta get more information about that. "My daddy told me all about that dark cloud Eric. Guess who it is…" Ariel said as she had an unimpressed look on her face. "You…you don't mean." Eric said hesitantly as she looked at Ariel's expression. "Mm-hmm. It's her ghost and I guess she's come back to haunt us…literally." Ariel said with a half smile.

Eric held Ariel and smiled for her light hearted humor in this. "Well don't worry, we will ask around in the village about it. Maybe we can grab some information on the side while we spend time together." Eric said as he comforted Ariel but holding her close. "I love you Ariel…sweet dreams my little mermaid." Eric said softly to Ariel's ear. "I love you too Eric…my handsome husband!" Ariel replied. These two were so close to each other in bed that they could not feel the cool breeze entering their window from the beach.

This island was huge and more technological than their home back west. Eric then goes off to sleep with Ariel knowing that they are able to hold each other after a long hard day of separation.

_To be continued…_


End file.
